Doctor Who?
by dragonwings948
Summary: Four Doctors. Two companions. An invisible enemy. A mind-bending trap. A choice that will change the fate of the Earth. Will the Doctors be able to save their companions, or will they be lost with the rest of the human race? (A New Who 10th Anniversary fic!)
1. The Visitor

**A/N: So, in honor of the 10th Anniversary of New Who, I'm starting a brand new fic unlike any I've written before! It's gonna be pretty exciting, so make sure you stick along for the ride! :D I know a lot of these kinds of fics can be really awful and cheesy, but mine will ****_not _****be that way, I promise. Here we gooo! **

Clara Oswald stacked up her finished marking with a satisfied sigh. It was only eight o' clock, but she had nothing left to do. Her lesson plans were all done, flat tidied, dishes washed…

She drummed her fingers on her knee as she thought. There had to be _something _she could do, because she certainly couldn't stand not doing anything. Settling down and reading a book or watching some telly might be nice in a couple hours, but the night was still young and she wasn't even tired yet.

Something buzzed against her hip and she pulled her phone from her pocket hopefully, frowning as she saw it was only a text from a fellow teacher. What had she been hoping for? The Doctor?

Clara sighed. Of course she had. She wasn't sure what her life away from the Doctor amounted to anymore. Without Danny, it seemed almost…pointless. She had been staying on board the TARDIS for days on end now, though always getting back in time to teach.

A smile came to her lips. If there was one thing her normal life was for, it was teaching.

A grating noise tugged her from her thoughts. Clara looked up in time to see the materializing form of the TARDIS, slowly becoming solid right in front of her. Finally it settled and the noise stopped. The door swung open and the Doctor rushed out, his eyes immediately locking onto her.

"Come on," he said, waving her toward the TARDIS. "I need you for a thing."

She had no argument. She had been waiting for him, and he probably knew it too. "Okay." She jumped up and walked into the familiar space and time machine. "What sort of thing?" Clara asked over her shoulder as the Doctor followed behind her.

"Not sure. That's why I need you." He ran to the console and set the TARDIS into motion, staring at the monitor. "There are some strange readings coming from Cardiff. Could be bad. Potentially. Well, probably."

Clara laughed. "Cardiff? Seriously? All of time and space and you want to go to Cardiff?"

The Doctor looked at her with wide eyes, gesturing to the screen. "I can't just _ignore _these readings! They're huge and potentially catastrophic!"

"Let me guess: world threatening?" Clara leaned her arms on the edge of the console, raising her eyebrows at him.

"From experience, I'd say yes." He nodded as the TARDIS groaned and wheezed, landing with a thump. "But now we can know for sure." He dashed to the doors and flung one open. Clara followed just behind him, but before she could get out the door, the Doctor ran back in and slammed the door behind him.

Clara paused and took in the Doctor's shocked expression. There wasn't much that could ruffle him like this. "Doctor…?" she asked, hesitantly reaching out a hand to help.

His back against the door, the Doctor inhaled a deep breath. "We should go."

Clara reached out and grabbed his arm as he tried to make a run for the console. "Wait, Doctor-"

But then there was a series of three knocks at the TARDIS doors. The Doctor stiffened under Clara's grasp, his head turning toward the sound as a frown settled deeper into his expression. "Go away," the Doctor said as he wrenched himself from Clara's grip. "No one here." He went to the console, but he wasn't fast enough. There was a click from the door, and it swung open with that familiar creak.

"How did you get into my… Oh." The stranger swallowed, his eyes roaming around the room, coming to rest on Clara. "This isn't my TARDIS," he added, his lips barely moving as he spoke.

Clara couldn't tear her gaze from his even if she had wanted to. She hadn't realized just how much she had missed him until just now: the bow tie, the floppy hair, his hands that were always moving about.

She blinked hard. _Dream. It has to be a dream. _But he was still there when she opened her eyes, looking just as awestruck as she felt. Her throat constricted as her vision blurred with tears. There was only one thing she knew to say.

"Doctor."


	2. I'm the Doctor

"Doctor!" Rose Tyler exclaimed, skipping into the console room. "I'm ready for the Space Carnival!" She went straight to the console and leaned her elbows on the edge, grinning up at the man who stared at the console's monitor with a furrowed brow.

He looked down at her with a frown. "I think we're going to have to make a detour." He must have seen her face fall because he quickly added, "I know I owe you a good trip after yesterday, but I can't ignore this."

Rose's disappointment was quickly swapped for curiosity. "What is it?" she asked, craning her neck to see the indecipherable figures on the screen.

"I don't know. And that worries me." The Doctor set his jaw as she stared at the monitor again. "It's something new."

"Something alien?" Rose wondered, nudging her shoulder against his.

He shrugged. "Could be." He turned his head swiftly, flashing a grin at her. "What do you say we go and find out, Rose Tyler?"

She smiled back at him, excited at the prospect of adventure and even more excited at the fact that it would take her mind off of the _mis_adventure the day previous. From his manner, she was pretty sure he had forgiven her, but she hadn't quite forgiven herself yet or gotten over the fact that she had watched her Dad die right in front of her eyes. It just kept replaying in her head, over and over again…

"Where is it?" Rose asked, trying to divert her thoughts.

The Doctor danced around the console, pulling and pushing controls until the now familiar materializing sound started up. He looked up at her, an apology clear in his eyes. "Cardiff."

"Cardiff? Again?" Rose sighed, grabbing onto the console as the TARDIS rocked. "All of time and space you promised me, and we go to Cardiff."

"It's not like I can help it!" He gestured to the monitor. "The TARDIS doesn't alert me to those readings for no reason. This is important. Cardiff it is."

Rose stared at the blue glow from the console, a familiar thrill rushing through her veins. Even if it was only Cardiff, she couldn't help but feel eager at the prospect of adventure. With the Doctor, a crisis that had to be stopped was inevitable.

The TARDIS whined and groaned, announcing its arrival at the new destination. The Doctor glanced at the monitor one more time before striding to the doors. He opened one, causing a creak to echo throughout the console room. Rose rushed behind him, peering over his shoulder to get a good look at the sunny day outside.

The Doctor passed through the door and turned his head left and right. "Looks harmless enough." He reached inside his leather jacket to pull out his sonic screwdriver.

"What were you expectin'?" Rose asked as she followed him, closing the door behind her. "Explosions and lasers?" She took in her surroundings, noticing that there weren't any people about. There were several shops nearby, but their windows were all darkened and they seemed to be closed. An abandoned town? In Cardiff?

He frowned as he squinted in the harsh sunlight. "Maybe." The sonic buzzed at a higher frequency when he pointed it toward the nearest shop. The Doctor shut off the screwdriver and placed it back in his pocket.

Silence rang in Rose's ears. A chill ran up her spine. "What year are we in?" she asked quietly, for the volume seemed appropriate.

"Two-thousand and six."

Rose looked up at the blue sky, watching puffy clouds idly drift by. Her eyes were then drawn to a tattered Union Jack flag, waving proudly from the peak of a flagpole a few meters away. "Maybe not so harmless, then," she muttered.

"Harmless or not, we're going into that shop. That's where the reading is coming from."

The Doctor led the way to the front of the brick building. A wooden sign over the door read, in pink painted letters, "Sondra's Boutique." A pretty pink press was featured in the window, though dirty glass and a rotting mannequin distorted the effect. Rose shuddered at the sight of the white humanoid figure. She wasn't sure that she would ever get used to the sight of mannequins again, and the eerie setting only made it worse.

The Doctor reached for the doorknob and pulled the door open. He looked over his shoulder. "Don't wander off," he warned.

"Not plannin' on it." She stuck right to his side as he strode into the abandoned building. The inside was completely empty apart from some cobwebs, a flight of stairs, and a doorway leading to another room. Rose examined the vacant space, craning her neck to see into the other room. She thought she saw a splash of blue from the room beyond the doorway and took a step in that direction.

The hum of the sonic screwdriver pulled her from her search. "It's close, Rose!" the Doctor exclaimed. "Right up the stairs!" He took off up the creaking wooden steps, the sonic buzzing all the while.

Rose placed her foot on the first step, but paused as she heard a distinctly different creak than that of the decaying staircase. Her fear giving way to curiosity, Rose instead backed up a few steps and peered through the open doorway.

There was a man. A tall man with brown hair and tan trench coat. But that wasn't even the most surprising part, because he stood _right in front of the TARDIS_. Had he stolen it? How had he gotten in or known how to pilot it?

The man looked at her. His mouth slowly fell open and his eyes grew wide. "Rose," he said, the single word filled with so much emotion.

Rose retreated a step, her mind swimming. This didn't make any sense. How did he know her name?

"Didn't I tell you not to wander off?"

Rose's head immediately turned in the direction of the Doctor's voice from upstairs. She almost ran after him, but then the mysterious man spoke.

"Did I really sound like that?"

Rose looked back at the stranger in the room as he continued on, "I like this accent better. Lighter, a bit less imposing. But I suppose I was more dramatic back then." His gaze locked with hers and he took a slow step forward, flashing a disarming smile. "Sorry. I don't suppose you know who I am." He sighed, running a hand through his gravity-defying hair. _"Well, _it's a bit difficult to explain, but basically…" Sticking out his hand toward her, he grinned. "I'm the Doctor."


	3. Reunion

_Clara couldn't tear her gaze from his even if she had wanted to. She hadn't realized just how much she had missed him until just now: the bow tie, the floppy hair, his hands that were always moving about. _

_ She blinked hard. _Dream. It has to be a dream._ But he was still there when she opened her eyes, looking just as awestruck as she felt. Her throat constricted as her vision blurred with unbidden tears. There was only one thing she knew to say. _

_"Doctor."_

* * *

Clara had almost forgotten how soft his eyes could get or how the tiniest of his smiles could light up a room.

"Clara." He clasped his hands together, his smile growing wider until it was a full-blown grin. "My Clara."

She wasn't exactly sure who initiated the hug, but suddenly she was in his arms, squeezing him tight as a few of her tears spilled over. She had missed these hugs more than she realized, and even more so the feeling of security and comfort that came with them.

"This is all very touching, but you have to leave."

Clara broke away from the embrace to face the newer (or, perhaps, _older_) Doctor. For a moment, she had completely forgotten he was even there. Her thoughts had been overshadowed by the Doctor who she had thought she would never see again.

But the 11th Doctor didn't look miffed by what the 12th had said. Instead, he looked him in the eye and said, "Thank you."

The 12th Doctor nodded solemnly. "You're welcome."

Clara looked between both of them, wondering what in the world they were silently communicating about. "What was that?"

"I was saying," continued the 12th Doctor, striding forward from the console and crossing his arms over his chest, "the Doctor here has to leave. Two of us in one TARDIS can't be good."

Clara wiped the back of her hand over her eyes to catch any remaining tears. "But he can't." She reached for the 11th Doctor's hand because she _could, _because she knew he wouldn't mind. "He can't just leave right away."

The 12th Doctor scoffed. "Yes he can. My TARDIS. My rules."

"He's right, Clara," the 11th Doctor sighed, squeezing her hand. "Two of us in the same place can have consequences."

Clara opened her mouth to protest and remind him about when three of him had saved Gallifrey before she could think about the fact that he might not have lived it yet.

"Except for in special circumstances," he corrected with a knowing smile.

Realizing the mistake she could have made, Clara sighed. "So you've done it, then?"

"Yes, I'm past that. But, obviously, I'm before Trenzalore." He looked over at the other Doctor as his eyebrows raised in realization. "Where I'm supposed to _die _for good."

"Spoilers," the 12th Doctor said quickly. "Now out. Before something bad happens."

The 11th Doctor raised his hands in innocence. "Fine, fine, I'm going!" In an undertone, he added, "How do you put up with Mr. Grumpy?"

"I'm not getting any nicer with you just standing there," the 12th Doctor said.

Clara released the 11th Doctor's hand and walked over to face to the 12th. "Please don't make him leave."

He shook his head and smiled that characteristic cynical grin of his. "Oh, so you want to go out to lunch? Fill him in on everything that's happened and have your eyes go all huge when he has to leave again?" He shook his head. _"No, _Clara."

"Is this _really _what I turn into?" the 11th Doctor wondered, taking a step closer. "Do I talk to everyone like that?"

Clara turned, a small smile twitching at the corners of her lips. "Yeah. Don't worry, though. He just does it because he doesn't want anyone to know that he actually has a heart somewhere deep down inside."

"Two hearts," the 12th corrected quickly, "and I am _right here, _you know."

Before Clara could reply with a witty remark, a beep came from the console. The 12th Doctor turned to the monitor and grabbed it with both hands, his eyes flicking back and forth as he examined the screen.

"The readings." The 11th Doctor crossed his arms over his chest. "That's why I'm here too."

The 12th Doctor huffed, not taking his eyes from the monitor. "Yes, and _why _are you _still_ here?" he asked, his Scottish accent more pronounced as his voice grew in volume.

"He's not going," Clara protested again.

"Fine." The 12th Doctor turned his head to train his steely gaze on her. "You can leave with him. Go canoodle or something until I finish."

Clara rolled her eyes at his terminology but knew him well enough now to know that he really just wanted some space. "Come on," she said to the 11th Doctor, jerking her head in the direction of the TARDIS doors. She walked straight to the entrance and pulled the door open, taking a step outside as she heard the 11th Doctor pause behind her.

"The signals are coming from the shop, in case you're wondering," he called back into the TARDIS before following Clara outside and closing the door behind him. He smiled at her, throwing his arm around her shoulders. "Clara Oswald. What've you been up to these days, eh?"

As much as Clara wanted to talk with him and tell him about her latest adventures, one glance around the abandoned town they had landed in told her that she couldn't leave the Doctor to do this alone. Besides, wasn't telling someone their future against the rules or something?

Clara smiled back at him and glanced behind her at the TARDIS. "Just wait."

He raised his delicate eyebrows at her but was silent.

She held up three fingers, silently ticking them down as she mouthed, "Three, two, one…" Just when she hit zero, the 12th Doctor burst out of the TARDIS and shouted, "It's coming from the shop!"


	4. We're the Doctor

**A/N: Sorry it took so long to update! Finals: they get ya every time. Anyway, I'll be back to updating weekly now. Also, sorry it's such a short chapter. Longer ones coming, I promise. Things are about to get very interesting. :)**

_His gaze locked with hers and he took a slow step forward, flashing a disarming smile. "Sorry. I don't suppose you know who I am." He sighed, running a hand through his gravity-defying hair. "Well, it's a bit difficult to explain, but basically…" Sticking out his hand toward her, he grinned. "I'm the Doctor."_

* * *

Rose stared at his proffered hand. He couldn't be… He wasn't… He looked nothing like the Doctor.

"Rose?" the Doctor called from the second floor.

The stranger's face slackened a little, his smile melting into a frown. "So, no handshake then." He slowly lowered his arm and stuffed his hands in his trench coat pockets. "I know this is a lot to take in, but if you'll just listen to me-"

Footsteps echoed down the stairs. "Rose?" The Doctor's voice was right beside her now, but Rose couldn't turn her head from this strange man. There was something about him; maybe his eyes, or a part of his smile, that reminded her of the Doctor. And yet…it couldn't be him. That was impossible.

"Oh." The Doctor stepped beside her to fill in the doorway. "I see."

"He said he's you," Rose murmured, not taking her eyes off of the man.

The Doctor enveloped her hand in his warm and encompassing counterpart. Rose finally turned her head to look at him, conscious that the stranger was watching them. The Doctor's pale blue eyes were dark and troubled.

"Rose, there's something I haven't told you. Something about me." He opened his mouth to continue, but just then the front door creaked open. Rose wriggled her hand from the Doctor's and spun around to see a man wearing a tweed jacket and a red bow tie emerging from the door, his light brown hair flopping over one side of his head as he turned to look at the scene in front of him. He held something that looked similar to the Doctor's sonic screwdriver, but its tip glowed green and the top portion extended outwards, almost as if it were a newer model.

A young woman and an older man made their way into the shop just behind the bow tie man. The old man's expression immediately turned to something like horror when he saw Rose, the Doctor, and the stranger. His eyes grew so wide that they seemed fit to burst out of his head and he suddenly grew so still that it appeared as if he would never move again. The woman, however, simply looked surprised, her eyebrows raised as her eyes flicked back and forth between the three.

By stark contrast to both, the man with the bow tie had a huge grin dominating his features. He clasped his hands together and rubbed them together. "Okay then." Suddenly he frowned. "Sorry, are we interrupting something?"


	5. The First Task

**A/N: Buckle yourselves in, folks. This is where it really starts to get interesting. :)**

_...the man with the bow tie had a huge grin dominating his features. He clasped his hands together and rubbed them together. "Okay then." Suddenly he frowned. "Sorry, are we interrupting something?"_

* * *

"No," the 10th Doctor said, stepping forward so that his head hovered about a foot above Rose's, causing the girl to freeze and her eyes grow a little wider at the closeness. Yet, the Doctor didn't seem to notice. "You're not-"

"Oh, yes." The 12th Doctor emitted a sarcastic chuckle, closing the door behind him. "I'm afraid we are."

Clara watched Rose – she sure it was Rose because she had a faint memory of seeing her with the 9th and 10th Doctors while in the Doctor's timestream – and felt instant pity for her. She seemed unfamiliar with the 10th Doctor, which meant she hadn't seen him regenerate. And if she hadn't seen that, she might not have even known what regeneration was. She had to be utterly perplexed.

The 9th Doctor seemed to take notice of Rose, however, and took her hand in his, murmuring something inaudible. He looked back at the 10th Doctor, and then turned to glance at the 11th and 12th. "Four of us? In one place at the same time? That can't be a coincidence."

The 12th Doctor bobbed his head once. "You're right. I forgot how much I liked you; straight to the point and none of this dallying around." He looked up, retrieving his sonic screwdriver from his pocket. "Why are we here?"

"A trap?" the 10th Doctor guessed. Rose jumped a little as he spoke and she shifted closer to the 9th Doctor. "Those signals were bound to get more than one of us here."

Clara raised her eyebrows at him, pulled out of her silent examining of the Doctor's past companion by his words. "Do you know what the signals are?"

He scratched the back of his head and squinted his eyes, looking somewhere above her head. _"Well, _not exactly, no."

The 12th Doctor chuckled without humor. "Of course it's a trap…"

_Clara. _

She froze and scanned the room. No one was even looking at her, and yet a voice had just spoken clearly in her head. It seemed like the Doctors were starting to argue now, and yet their raised voices were just like static in the background.

_One of them is fake, _the voice hissed, sending a chill down her spine. A hand grasped hers, but she barely felt it was there, much less knew who it belonged to. _You must decide which one before it is too late. This is your task, the woman who knows the Doctor best…_

Clara inhaled a shaking breath as the static in her ears increased. She closed her eyes and pressed her free hand to her ear, but her actions did nothing to help. Just when she thought the noise was so loud it would split her head in two, it stopped altogether. Sighing with relief, she opened her eyes…

…and found herself in the middle of her living room.

For a moment, Clara wondered if she had passed out. Was she dreaming? How would she know if she was? Was this _really _her flat?

"Okay, okay," she murmured to herself, holding her head in her hands. "What do I know _for sure?" _Taking in a steadying breath, she held her head up and looked around. She took a step forward and touched her fingertip to the cool surface of the wall. "Number one: this isn't a hologram or something. But it still might not be my real flat." She leaned away from the wall and smiled to herself as her mind kept running. "In fact, it probably isn't my flat, because that would mean I would have had to time travel. So, a copy. A copy of my flat. Why."

She looked around the room to see if she could find any discrepancies, but at the same time she recalled the low, growling voice that had spoken directly into her head. _One of them is fake. _

"One of the Doctors?" she wondered. "But how can I find out which one is fake from here? Why should I, anyway?" She straightened and crossed her arms over her chest, looking up at the ceiling. "Can you hear me? I know someone's probably watchin' me right now. Give me a good reason why I should do what you say."

_Clever, _the same voice purred in her mind. _Intelligent. _It paused, as if waiting for her to respond.

"Am I supposed to be flattered?" She hoped that her words would serve to cover up the feeling of dread bubbling up inside of her from the intruding voice.

_Merely an observation. You may receive it as flattery if you wish. _

Noticing that it was responding to her, Clara decided to probe further. The more she could find out, the better. "Who are you?"

A dark chuckle permeated her mind. _One question at a time. If you do not complete your task, I will kill one of the real Doctors. Perhaps one of the ones closest to you. _

She tapped her foot and frowned at the ceiling, imagining that was where the voice resided. "But you're probably lyin'. Bad guys usually don't like to tell the truth."

_I can prove it, if you wish. _

Suddenly, as Clara inhaled, no oxygen was taken into her lungs. She gasped and clutched at her throat as her knees grew weak and gave out. Just as she collapsed onto the carpeted floor, the voice spoke again, as calm as ever.

_My name is the Nightmare. I am in control of the world around all of you, and if you don't complete the task, the Doctor will die. _

Black spots dotted Clara's vision, and she attempted to inhale one last fruitless breath before the darkness took over.


	6. The Second Task

**A/N: Sorry about the wait for the update! I'll try not to let it happen again. Enjoy! :)**

**(Also, I know this is sort of a weird transition but we're now in the 12th Doctor's POV, as you can see, which crosses over with the last chapter a bit at the beginning). **

The 12th Doctor scoffed and emitted a heartless chuckle. "Of course it's a trap. Why else would someone want us all together?"

The 10th Doctor crossed his arms, stepping around Rose to approach him. With a tense jaw and a warning glare, he was probably trying to look imposing, but the 12th Doctor only saw it like a child trying to scare a grown adult. "Well, let's think about it. Oh yeah, I think our name might just be _the Doctor. _Someone could need help."

"They could have called for one of us then," the 9th Doctor observed, crossing his arms over his chest and raising his eyebrows like he was unimpressed.

The 10th Doctor turned on him, raising his voice. "Really? So now you're siding with _him?" _

"This isn't about sides," the 11th Doctor chimed in, taking a step forward. "There's no need to get angry."

As the 12th Doctor opened his mouth to contribute to the argument, he watched Clara's frame shudder out of the corner of his eye. After a moment's consideration, he realized that she had been quite silent for the past minute or so. And that wasn't like her at all…

He reached to take her hand at her side, but the 11th Doctor beat him to it, enveloping her hand with his own. The 12th frowned at him, but the other Doctor had eyes only for Clara, who still hadn't reacted in any way. The 12th Doctor's sensitive ears picked up Clara's trembling breath and he reached out to her. "Clara-"

However, his helping hand only waved through air.

As calm as he usually was, he couldn't help the sudden feeling of panic that rose up inside of him. For a moment, all he could do was stare at where Clara had been just five seconds ago. "What…?"

_You want her back, do you not? _

The other three Doctors and Rose were watching him, but he doubted they could hear the voice that had invaded his mind. Honing in on the intruder to his brain, he shouted a reply in his head. _I don't care who you are, but if you know me then you should know not to play games with me, especially when it comes to Clara Oswald. _

Acid churned in his stomach as the voice merely laughed. _My my, you _do _have a temper, don't you? But also a soft spot for the girl, as I thought. _

The Doctor shook his head. The voice was probably only meant to distract him from what was going on around him. "It is a trap," he said out loud, breaking a silence that must have lasted for several minutes, "and I think Clara was the first victim."

"But how do you know-?" the 10th Doctor began to protest.

"Look around you, pretty boy!" He threw his arms out beside him, gesturing to the rotting wood of the shop's walls. "It's creepy. It simply _reeks _of something sinister. When _doesn't _that attract any of us?"

The 9th Doctor's expression hardened. "I knew something was wrong." His eyes roamed over the room. "It's _too _scary. There's even a shop window dummy," he said with the ghost of a smile, nudging Rose's shoulder and pointing at the mannequin toward the front of the shop.

Rose, however, did not seem amused. She shuddered and looked at each Doctor in turn. "They're…you?" she whispered, apparently still caught up on that detail despite impending danger.

The 12th Doctor rolled his eyes and strode forward, Rose's eyes growing wide as he approached. "I'm just going to explain," he said, raising his hands in the air, "only it will be a bit faster this way." Knowing there was no time to waste, he extended his hands towards her and pressed his middle fingers lightly against her temples. Not wasting a single second, he sent her every helpful memory or thought about regeneration that he had, trying hard to slow down and let the thoughts flow naturally rather than throwing them at her to save time.

He drew away as soon as he was done, turning and looking up at the ceiling. "Yes, as we were saying. It's much too creepy. Much too…_convenient." _After no one responded for several seconds, he looked back to see that the other three Doctors were looking at Rose, who held her head in her hands.

The 9th Doctor gave him a hard glare. "You could've been more gentle."

"Don't you see? There's no time to be gentle!"

The 10th Doctor's head snapped up. "What do you mean?"

"He means that we're in a trap right now, and every second we spend here is getting more and more dangerous." The 11th Doctor nodded to the ground. "And now we have to find Clara too."

"Too convenient?" the 10th Doctor repeated to himself, looking around. "Oh. _Oh." _His eyes grew wide with realization. "We're not really in this shop."

"Rather," corrected the 12th Doctor, "the shop isn't really real."

The 11th Doctor jumped once, the wood creaking underneath him as he landed. "Of course it's real. Just not to anyone else."

With a comforting hand on Rose's shoulder, the 9th Doctor spoke calmly. "Something's in our minds."

The 10th Doctor nodded. "But the question is: how long has it been there?"

"And what _it _is." The 11th Doctor glanced at the 12th. "The Kantrofarri?"

With a shake of his head, the 12th Doctor replied, "No. Trust me, I've had recent experiences with them. Anyway," he continued, his mind racing as he rambled on, "the three of you wouldn't be in my pleasant dreams."

"I second that." The 9th Doctor looked up and grabbed Rose's hand.

"So what do we do?" the 10th Doctor asked. "Someone obviously doesn't want us to see what's going on in the real world. This is a distraction."

The 11th Doctor nodded. "A good one. We can't leave until we find Clara."

The 10th Doctor pointed out the window. "People could be in danger out there. We can't _all_ just stay here!"

"Doctor."

All four Doctors turned to look at Rose, who had spoken in a shaking, quiet voice. "It's talking to me."

"What's it saying?" the 12th Doctor asked, rushing to stand in front of her. He had no doubt that it was the same voice that had spoken in his mind.

Rose squeezed her eyes shut and shuddered. The 11th Doctor grabbed her arm, as if to keep her from disappearing like Clara had.

The 12th Doctor placed his hands on her shoulders. "Rose, what's it saying?" he repeated, shaking her gently.

"'This is your task…'" She shook her head after a moment, emitting a shaky sigh. "I…"

With a huff of frustration, the 12th Doctor placed his fingers on her temples once more, immediately hearing the overwhelming voice in her thoughts.

_…Bad Wolf…_

The voice seemed to grow louder and louder until the Doctor's mind wasn't filled with anything _but _it. Static noise filled his ears. It felt like at any moment, his head would explode with the magnitude of the volume. Just as he thought to raise a hand to block it out, the noise stopped altogether. All that was left was the sound of crashing waves.

The Doctor opened his eyes, not completely surprised to see blue waves lapping at a somber grey shore. He released Rose and spun around, clenching his jaw as he realized where they were: a place he would always detest the sight of.

Dårlig Ulv Stranden.

_Bad Wolf Bay. _


End file.
